Wednesday, October 23, 2019

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSE
Brendan Laun, Concordia
D/M • 5-7 • Junior • Elk Grove, Calif.

Laun scored two goals and had two assists as Concordia split a pair of hard-fought matches. Laun scored both of the Cavaliers’ goals in Thursday’s 2-0 win over Seattle Pacific. He then tallied assists on both goals in the Cavs’ 3-2 loss at Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

Also Nominated:Oscar Aguilar (Saint Martin’s), Matteo Polisi (Simon Fraser), Drew Farnsworth (Western Washington).

DEFENSE
Brandon Locke, Western Washington
GK • 6-3 • Freshman • Federal Way, Wash.

Locke recorded his second and third consecutive shutouts of the season as Western Washington improved to 4-0-1 in GNAC play. He made four saves in the Vikings’ 1-0 win at Saint Martin’s on Thursday then made three saves on ten shots in Saturday’s 3-0 win at Northwest Nazarene.

Also Nominated: Kenneth Symmes (Concordia), Samuele Folla (Montana State Billings), Jose Marquez (Saint Martin’s), Aidan Bain (Simon Fraser).

AROUND THE GNAC
CONCORDIA
• Concordia split its matches last week with a 2-0 shutout of Seattle Pacific on Thursday and a 3-2 loss at Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

• Brendan Laun earned GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honors after he scored two goals and had two assists in the two matches. Laun scored both of the Cavaliers’ goals in Thursday’s 2-0 win over Seattle Pacific. He followed that with two assists on both of the goals in the Cavs’ 3-2 loss at Saint Martin’s.

• The Cavs got ahead to a 2-0 lead in the first half of the match at Saint Martin’s but the Saints responded with three unanswered goals in the second half to secure the come-from-behind win.

• Nicholas Denley and Garrick Gargurevich were the two goal scorers in the 3-2 loss to the Saints. Denley is third in the conference with 13 points and tied for second with six goals.

• Goalkeeper Kenneth Symmes made 11 saves against 10 shots on goal in the two matches. Symmes is second in the GNAC and 40th in Division II with 4.89 saves per match.

• The Cavs top the GNAC with 1.80 assists per match and also rank third with 50 total saves.

• Concordia is now 6-4-0 (3-2-0 GNAC) on the season. Up next, the Cavs will host Simon Fraser on Thursday before heading up to Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings tied with Simon Fraser, 0-0, on Saturday in Billings in the Yellowjackets’ only match of the week.

• The Simon Fraser offense was on a mission, posting 14 shots and seven shots on goal, but the Yellowjacket defense held the Clan scoreless.

• Goalkeeper Jessy Martin made seven saves against seven shots on goal in the match. Martin tops the GNAC and ranks 15th in Division II with 62 total saves. He also ranks 26th in Division II with a .816 save percentage.

• Andres Perez has led the Yellowjacket offense this season with four goals, four assists and 12 points. He has earned offensive honors twice in his sophomore campaign.

• Montana State Billings is now 6-4-2 (3-1-1 GNAC) on the season and is tied for second place in the conference standings with Simon Fraser. Up next, the Yellowjackets will stay home to host first-place Western Washington on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene dropped both of its home matches last week. The Nighthawks lost a close 1-0 match to Simon Fraser on Thursday then dropped game two to Western Washington, 3-0, on Saturday.

• Goalkeeper Sawyer Price made five saves against six shots on goal in the 1-0 loss to the Clan then made another seven saves against the Vikings.

• Jake Levine had four shots and two shots on goal in the two matches. He is third in the GNAC with 31 shots while also ranking tied for fourth with five goals and 12 points.

• Northwest Nazarene is now 4-7-0 (0-5-0 GNAC) on the season. Up next, the Nighthawks will head to Montana State Billings on Saturday in their only match of the week.

SAINT MARTIN'S
• Saint Martin’s split its matches at home last week, dropping a close 1-0 match to Western Washington on Thursday then edging out a 3-2 win over Concordia on Saturday.

• The Cavs struck first with two goals in the first half, but the Saints rallied to net three unanswered goals in the second half to secure the come-from-behind win.

• Oscar Aguilar scored the first two goals for the Saints in the win over the Cavs off of two free kicks. Aguilar put up nine shots and five shots on goal in the match. He also had five shots and two shots on goal against the Vikings.

• Brandon Madsen scored the game-winning goal against the Cavs with a header off of a cross from Jason Fairhurst in the 65th minute of the match. It was Madsen’s third game-winning goal of the season. He tops the GNAC and ranks fourth in Division II with 12 goals while also ranking sixth in Division II with 26 points.

• Goalkeeper Dylan Shaw made six saves in the 3-2 come-from-behind win.

• The Saints continue to have the conference’s top-scoring offense and rank 38th in Division II with 2.23 goals per match.

• Saint Martin’s is now 7-4-2 (2-3-1 GNAC) on the season. Up next, the Saints will look to win back-to-back matches as they host Seattle Pacific on Thursday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific dropped its only match of the week with a 2-0 loss to Concordia on Thursday.

• The Falcons put up 11 shots in the match but were unable to find the net. Alex Mejia recorded four shots and the only two shots on goal for the Falcons in the 2-0 loss.

• Lars Helleren made five saves in the loss. He and fellow goalkeeper Jordan Marwood are ranked tied for fourth in the GNAC with 27 saves on the season.

• Seattle Pacific is now 2-7-1 (1-4-0 GNAC) on the season. Up next, the Falcons will head to Saint Martin’s on Thursday before hosting Concordia on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser topped Northwest Nazarene, 1-0, on Thursday in Nampa, Idaho, then ended in a 0-0 draw at Montana State Billings on Saturday.

• Matteo Polisi scored the only goal of the match in the 1-0 win over the Nighthawks, notching his sixth goal of the season in the 21st minute off of an assist from Eric de Graaf.

• The Clan tallied 11 shots and six shots on goal while limiting the Nighthawks to just five total shots. The Clan defense followed with another impressive performance on Saturday in Billings, limiting the Yellowjackets to four shots and three shots on goal.

• Goalkeeper Aidan Bain made four saves against the Nighthawks then made another three saves against three shots on goal by the Yellowjackets. He is second in the GNAC and ranks 36th in Division II with a 0.85 goals against average

• Simon Fraser is now 6-2-1 (3-1-1 GNAC) on the season and is tied for second in the conference standings with Montana State Billings. Up next, Simon Fraser has a busy week as the Clan will look to get its revenge at Concordia on Thursday before coming home to host first-place Western Washington on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington picked up a pair of shutouts on the road last week with a 1-0 win at Saint Martin’s on Thursday and a 3-0 win at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

• Johan Espinoza scored the only goal in the 1-0 win at Saint Martin’s. It was his first collegiate goal.

• Drew Farnsworth recorded a multi-goal game in the 3-0 win at Northwest Nazarene, netting two goals in the fifth and 62nd minutes of the match. Jeremiah Lee scored the second goal for the Vikings in the 45th minute.

• Freshman goalkeeper Brandon Locke was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after he recorded his second and third consecutive shutouts of the season. He made four saves in the Vikings’ 1-0 win at Saint Martin’s on Thursday then made three saves on 10 shots in Saturday’s 3-0 win at Northwest Nazarene. He is the fourth consecutive Viking to earn the defensive honor.

• Locke tops the GNAC and Division II with a 0.35 goals against average and has started in all five of the Vikings’ conference matches.

• Western Washington is now ranked fourth in the latest United Soccer Coaches West Region Poll and was among others receiving votes in the national poll.

• Western Washington improved to 7-3-1 (4-0-1 GNAC) on the season and sits in first place in the GNAC standings with 13 points. Up next, the Vikings will look to extend their winning streak as they hit the road to play at Montana State Billings on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday.